Mirella Lapata, Professor of Natural Language Processing at the School of Informatics, has been awarded the British Computer Society (BCS)’s Lovelace Medal for Computing Research – one of the UK’s highest honours in computing. She joins fellow Informatics colleagues Professor Jane Hillston and Professor Aggelos Kiayias as recipients of the award, which recognises outstanding contributions to the advancement of computing. The Lovelace Medal is presented annually by BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT. Winners are selected by a panel convened by the BCS Academy of Computing Board, which considers originality, impact, and ethical implications of the nominees’ work. Professor Lapata was recognised for her pioneering research in natural language processing and AI. Her work has transformed how machines understand and generate human-like narratives from text and structured data, bridging language with other modalities such as images and video. These advances have shaped mainstream technologies now embedded in everyday life. I am deeply honoured to receive the BCS Lovelace Medal. Computing research is at its most exciting when it connects theory with real-world impact, and I am proud that my work has contributed to technologies people interact with every day. It’s a privilege to join such an inspiring community of recipients. Professor Mirella Lapata Professor of Natural Language Processing at the School of Informatics, The University of Edinburgh Professor Lapata will receive her medal alongside King’s College London’s Professor Kölling, who has been awarded the Lovelace Medal for Computing Education. Professor Lapata and Professor Kölling represent the very best of our profession, combining innovation, influence, and inspiration. Their achievements have not only advanced the frontiers of computing but also shaped how society engages with technology and how we equip future generations to create it. The Lovelace Medals celebrate individuals whose contributions have a lasting impact far beyond academia, and this year’s recipients exemplify that ideal. Sharron Gunn Group CEO of BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT Previous recipients of the Lovelace Medal include Sir Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web; Karen Spärck Jones, a pioneer in information retrieval; and Sir Demis Hassabis, co-founder of Google DeepMind. Professor Lapata will receive her Lovelace Medal at a ceremony later this year, where BCS will celebrate both recipients and their exceptional contributions to computing. Related links BCS Announces 2025 Lovelace Medal winners Link to Mirella’s personal website Publication date 30 Sep, 2025
